Sport

Bolton Wanderers Under-18s lose despite Jamie Thomas double

WANDERERS Under-18s’ run of four straight wins came to an end when they were beaten 3-2 by West Brom at home on Saturday.

David Lee and Tony Kelly’s youngsters looked like maintaining their good run in the FA U18 Premier League when the in-form Jamie Thomas netted another two goals, either side of a Jonathan Leko strike, to give them a 2-1 half-time lead at Lostock. But the Baggies hit back in the second half to turn the game on its head with two goals, Leko scoring his second and Andrew Wright netting the winner.

There was still a chance of a share of the spoils for Wanderers when Thomas, who had already scored from the penalty spot, was handed another opportunity from 12 yards, only to be denied by Ethan Ross.

It was a disappointing outcome for coach Lee but he says his players will learn from the defeat.

He said: “It was just one of those games where we were always going to need some luck. We continually created goalscoring chances throughout the game.

“Overall, it was a battling performance and though our run came to an end, the development of the players is more important.

“We now need to focus on rebuilding that good run and, more importantly, replicating the performances of late.”